THE curtain fell on the Flat turf season at Doncaster on Saturday when it was a case of so near, yet so far for Kevin Darley and Keith Dalgleish.

The defending champion and the young apprentice had several rides, but Kieren Fallon was the only one of the three to have a winner on the last day.

Darley made the presentation to the new champion Fallon with good grace, but vowed to contest again in 2002. He had the previous day taken a Doncaster double for Mark Johnston, aboard Double Honour and Simeon.

Johnston gave Darley most of his rides this summer and his claimer, Dalgleish, needed just one to tie the apprentices' title on Saturday after a Windsor win for his boss the previous day.

Title leader Chris Catlin, on 52 victories, watched as his young Scottish rival frustratingly could not claw the single win needed from his busy Doncaster day.

However, Darley and Tim Easterby were champions again in Yorkshire. Darley partnered 62 winners and Easterby saddled 46 to score on Yorkshire tracks.

With the close of the turf Flat season, there is still all-weather racing and Lingfield introduced its new Polytrack surface this week, praised by all. The only DST area winner there was James Hetherton's Cyber Santa, a first win for Dominic Fox, son of Richard Fox.

Now it is the turn of the jumpers and, typically, it was Mary Reveley who had perhaps the biggest winner of the weekend. The Lingdale trainer sent Whistling Dixie to Down Royal in Northern Ireland to win the Banville Hotel Handicap Hurdle under Alan Dempsey.

Ferdy Murphy sent out good winners at Uttoxeter, Carlisle, Sedgefield and Kelso, Adrian Maguire partnering all. The jockey is nearing his career 1,000th and a double at the County Durham course, including on Ice for Steve Kettlewell, brought him closer.

Brian Ellison's star Fatehalkhair, who landed his 11th race at Sedgefield, may turn out on Sunday at Cheltenham.

With the seasonal start, it is time to stick the neck out again with our annual jumpers to follow. This year we have plumped for a dozen from the plethora of horses trained in the area. With Murphy, Tim Easterby and Reveley, almost any could be on the list, but we have kept to one apiece.

Hindiana is the choice from Wynbury, West Witton. Murphy's useful novice chaser was thrown in at the deep end on Saturday at Down Royal, contesting the valuable James Nicholston Wine Merchant Champion Chase in his first public appearance over the fences. An excellent fourth, he will do better.

October Mist from Mrs Reveley's Lingdale lot impressed us last year and looks set to scale the heights after last week's win. And although Barton was beaten by this one, Tim Easterby's stable star joins the list, too.

So the dangerous dozen are: Altapeter (P Beaumont); Banker Count (M Easterby); Barton (T Easterby); Benbyas (L Eyre); Dibea Times (M Jefferson); Fatelhalkair (B Ellison); Gralmano (K Ryan); Hindiana (F Murphy); Major Sponsor (G Moore); October Mist (M Reveley); Ryalux (A Crook); Tyneandthyneagain (N Mason).

THE WEEK'S WINNERS

Key: Saturday was the last day of the turf flat season, but flat racing continues on AW=all-weather; NH=jumps (National Hunt); *=evening meeting; f=furlong (8f=1 mile); chs=steeplechase; hdl=hurdle; NHf=National Hunt flat race (bumper); Hb=homebred by owner (or one of the owners).

Thursday last week. - Windsor: (10f) Robandela (trained by Mark Johnston, at Middleham; owned by Robert Aird), ridden by Keith Dalgleish.

Haydock NH: (hdl) Dan De Man (Lynn Siddall, Colton; David J Poulter), Tom Siddall; (hdl) Petuntse (Mary Reveley, Lingdale; Chicken Kiev Syndicate), Alan Dempsey; (chs) B The One (John Quinn, Settrington; Andrew Page & Mr John Pollard), Andrew Thornton.

Friday. - Doncaster: (14f) Double Honour (Mark Johnston; the 4th Middleham Partnership), Kevin Darley; (8f) Simeon (M Johnston; Jumeirah Racing), K Darley.

Uttoxeter NH: (hdl) Inching Closer (Ferdy Murphy, West Witton; Mrs N L Spence), Adrian Maguire.

Saturday. - Down Royal: (hdl) Whistling Dixie (M Reveley; P D Savill), A Dempsey.

Monday. - Carlisle NH: (chs) Granit D'Estruval (F Murphy; W J Gott), A Maguire; (hdl) Needwood Spirit (Muriel Naughton, Richmond; Famous Five Racing), G Supple; (chs) Emperor's Magic (Norman Mason, Crook; permit holder), Paul Ryan.

Fontwell: (hdl) Bhutan (M Reveley; Hb, P D Savill), A Dempsey.

Southwell AW: (6f) It Was Meant To Be (Patrick Haslam, Middleham; S A B Dinsmore), Tyrone Williams; (7f) Xaloc Bay (Karl Burke, Coverham; Mrs Melba Bryce), Darren Williams.

Tuesday. - Lingfield AW: (13f) Cyber Santa (James Hetherton, Malton; Qualitair Holdings Ltd), Dominic Fox.

Sedgefield NH: (hdl) Ice (Steve Kettlewell, Middleham; Uncle Jacks Pub), A Maguire; (chs) Lord Capitaine (Howard Johnson, Crook; The Scottish Steeplechasing Club), Adie Smith; (hdl) Moonlite Magic (F Murphy; John Duddy), A Maguire; (hdl) Fatehalkhair (Brian Ellison, Norton; R Wagner), Vinny Keane; (hdl) Suildante (Malcolm Jefferson, Norton; Mrs K S Gaffney & Mrs Alix Stevenson), Graham Lee.

Wednesday. - Kelso NH: (hdl) Gralmano (Kevin Ryan, Hambleton; Coleorton Moor Racing), G Lee; (chs) One More (Chris Grant, Wolviston; the Hon Mrs M Faulkner), Richard McGrath; (hdl) Totally Scottish (M Reveley; the Phoenix Racing Club), A Dempsey; (chs) Stan's Your Man (F Murphy; Hb, Mrs J D Goodfellow), A Maguire.

l Fatehalkhair's winning race on Tuesday at Sedgefield was the John Wade 'Birthday Boy' Handicap Hurdle, in honour of the local permit holder and transport chief.

Tragically, that evening at Mr Wade's 58th birthday party, his partner Linda Collins collapsed and later died in North Tees Hospital. She was 46 and the youngest daughter of the late Arthur Stephenson.

All racing will join us in sending sympathy to Mr Wade and to Ms Collins' family and friends.